CLINICAL ASPECTS OF THE ORAL MUCOSA IN PATIENTS WITH SLEEP-OCCURRING BRUXISM

Abstract

Aim of the study The objective of this study is represented by the identification of the clinical aspects of the oral mucosa in patients with bruxism occurring during sleep. Material and methods. The study group was represented by a number of 70 patients, women and men. The oral examinations were performed on a number of 51 patients who self-reported bruxism during sleep at the Oral Rehabilitation Clinic of the Faculty of Dentistry, “Ovidius” University in Constanța between January 2018 and January 2019. The collected data have were analyzed using the MICROSOFT-EXCEL program. Results. A number of 127 modifications in the oral mucosa were analyzed. The most frequent modifications were in the following regions: jugal mucosa (24%), inferior buccal alveolar mucosa (17%), superior buccal alveolar mucosa (10%), the dorsal surface of the tongue (10%). The presence of linea alba was observed in 51% of patients. The presence of geographic tongue (11.8%) and the presence of dental impressions (10.7%) was also observed. Conclusions. Oral mucosal modifications in patients with self-reported sleep bruxism are frequently found at the level of the jugal mucosa, inferior alveolar vestibular mucosa, superior alveolar vestibular mucosa and the dorsal surface of the tongue. Some of these modifications are manifestations in the context of bruxism, others have not been associated with bruxism until now.

Keywords

• clinical aspects
• oral mucosa modifications
• self-reported bruxism
• sleep-occurring bruxism